Plea deal reached in Benicia teacher pot 'poisoning' case

By Tony Burchyns

Vallejo Times-Herald

Posted:
04/30/2014 03:01:27 PM PDT

Updated:
04/30/2014 04:18:34 PM PDT

VALLEJO -- A Benicia teacher accused of serving pot-laced food to her colleagues at a pre-Thanksgiving dinner party has taken a plea deal in a case that bewildered school parents and district officials.

In a Solano Superior Court hearing Monday, Matthew Turner Elementary School teacher Teresa Badger, 48, pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of furnishing marijuana. Under the plea agreement, she was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and two years probation, according to court documents.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Badger's attorney, Elizabeth Grossman, said her client acknowledged using poor judgment and wants to put the case behind her.

"Teresa Badger is an excellent teacher, parent, wife, friend and community member," Grossman said. "She acknowledges making a grave error in judgment. An appropriate and just result was reached in the Vallejo Superior Court."

Grossman added, "I hope that she and the community can move forward, forgiving her and offering a new opportunity to be a successful member of the community."

Badger was initially charged with felony poisoning following her Jan. 24 arrest at her home in Benicia. The case surprised many parents who regarded her as a popular teacher in the Benicia Unified School District.

Police said Badger, who's worked for 18 years in the district, served a marijuana-laced dish at an after-work potluck on Nov. 21 at a fellow teacher's home.

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Later in the evening, several guests reported feeling sick or possibly high, police said.

Two women were taken to the hospital, where blood work revealed at least one had marijuana in their system.

A 15-year-old child also got sick after ingesting some of the pot-laced food the next day, police said.

Police became suspicious of Badger after hearing that she'd allegedly confessed to her colleagues that she was involved. She declined to give a statement to police following her arrest.

Badger has been on administrative leave since shortly before her arrest. District Superintendent Janice Adams declined to comment further on Badger's employment status, citing confidentiality rules.